Peer Experiences Research Articles

Social support experiences by pupils in finnish secondary school

ABSTRACT The study explores the schoolwork social support experiences of teachers, peers and parents. The data were collected from 1529 Finnish seventh-grade (age 13–14 years) pupils using The Students’ Learning Agency inventory (SLA). The results indicate that social support is a dynamic system in which adult support is an important resource for pupils’ schoolwork, regardless of the pupils’ gender and sosio-economic status of the school. In particular, support from teachers increased the likelihood of support sharing between peers. However, there were differences in this teachers’ effect on peer support in terms of gender; the connection was weaker for girls than for boys. Hence, teacher support appeared to affect boys’ peer relations more than girls’.

Peer-assisted learning versus faculty led learning in procedural skill acquisition utilizing skills laboratory

Background: The aims of this study were to compare the outcomes of faculty led learning with peer assisted learning in acquiring procedural skills and to analyze perceptions on the learning experience of both groups so that feasibility of adopting peer teaching can be considered in the skills laboratory. Methods: Medical students from 4th semester were divided into two groups – A - Individual learners and B - peer tutored students. Group A was taught bladder catheterization by faculty. Six volunteers were chosen as peer teachers, trained by faculty to perform and teach the procedure. Each peer teacher was assessed for training skills. Five to six students were then assigned to each peer teacher. At the end of the study period, each student was assessed for skills acquired by objective structured practical examination. Feedback from students on perceptions of their learning experience was collected using validated feedback instrument. Results: Fifty-seven students excluding peer teachers were assessed–30 in Group A and 27 in Group B. Mean competency scores of Group B was higher than those of Group A (P < 0.012). Median scores of perceptions on overall skill development, teacher contribution, and student satisfaction were not different between the groups. Conclusion: This study has demonstrated that peer teaching can be an effective and feasible tool to teach basic procedural skills to students. Perceptions on the learning experiences of individual and peer led groups in the skills laboratory were not different emphasizing the acceptability of the peer tutor approach.

Peer victimization and experiences of violence at school and at home among school age children with disabilities in Pakistan and Afghanistan

ABSTRACT Background: Children with disabilities are more likely to experience violence or injury at school and at home, but there is little evidence from Central Asia. Objective: To describe the prevalence of disability and associations with peer violence perpetration and victimization, depression, corporal punishment, school performance and school attendance, among middle school children in Pakistan and Afghanistan. Method: This is a secondary analysis of data gathered in the course of evaluations of interventions to prevent peer violence conducted in Pakistan and Afghanistan as part of the ‘What Works to Prevent Violence against Women and Girls Global Programme’. In Pakistan, the research was conducted in 40 schools, and disability was assessed at midline in 1516 interviews with Grade 7s. In Afghanistan, the data were from the baseline study conducted in 11 schools with 770 children. Generalized Linear Mixed Modeling was used to assess associations with disability. Results: In Afghanistan, the prevalence of disability was much higher for girls (22.1%) than boys (12.9%), while in Pakistan 6.0% of boys and girls reported a disability. Peer violence victimization was strongly associated with disability in Afghanistan and marginally associated in Pakistan. In Pakistan, perpetration of peer violence was associated with disability. In both countries, disability was significantly associated with higher depression scores. Food insecurity was strongly associated with disability in Afghanistan. Conclusion: Disability is highly prevalent in Afghanistan and Pakistan schools and this is associated with a greater risk of experiencing and perpetrating peer violence. It is important to ensure that all children can benefit from school-based prevention interventions.

The Impact of Adolescents' Attachment to Peers and Parents on Aggressive and Prosocial Behavior: A Short-Term Longitudinal Study.

This short-longitudinal study analyzed the cross-sectional and longitudinal pathways linking adolescent’s quality of attachment to parents and peers and their practice of aggressive and prosocial behavior; it also explored the moderation effect of gender on those pathways. A total of 375 secondary school students (203 girls and 172 boys), aged between 15 and 19 years old, completed the Inventory of Parent and Peer Attachment and the Peer Experience Questionnaire - Revised twice, within a four-month gap. Using a path analyses approach, results showed that aggression and prosocial behavior were the strongest predictors of themselves overtime. Attachment to mother had a cross-sectional effect on aggression and on prosocial behavior via attachment to peers, and attachment to peers predicted prosocial behavior; overall, the higher the quality of attachment, the lowest the practice of aggression and the highest the practice of prosocial behavior. These effects held stable for boys and girls, though gender-based differences were found in mean levels of attachment to peers and social behaviors. Even if other variables may be in place when understanding adolescents’ social behaviors, attachment to mother and peers also seem to play a relevant role in trying to achieve safer and more positive school climates. Suggestions on how to accomplish this are shortly discussed.

Social experience calibrates neural sensitivity to social feedback during adolescence: A functional connectivity approach

The adaptive calibration model suggests exposure to highly stressful or highly supportive early environments sensitizes the brain to later environmental input. We examined whether family and peer experiences predict neural sensitivity to social cues in 85 adolescent girls who completed a social feedback task during a functional brain scan and an interview assessing adversity. Whole-brain functional connectivity (FC) analyses revealed curvilinear associations between social experiences and FC between the ventral striatum and regions involved in emotion valuation, social cognition, and salience detection (e.g., insula, MPFC, dACC, dlPFC) during social reward processing, such that stronger FC was found at both very high and very low levels of adversity. Moreover, exposure to adversity predicted stronger FC between the amygdala and regions involved in salience detection, social cognition, and emotional memory (e.g., sgACC, precuneus, lingual gyrus, parahippocampal gyrus) during social threat processing. Analyses also revealed some evidence for blunted FC (VS-PCC for reward; amygdala-parahippocampal gyrus for threat) at very high and low levels of adversity. Overall, results suggest social experiences may play a critical role in shaping neural sensitivity to social feedback during adolescence. Future work will need to elucidate the implications of these patterns of neural function for the development of psychopathology.

"It was Like Magic": Relationships Supporting Compassion, Creativity, and Sense of Coherence in Nutrition Students.

The purpose of this exploratory research was to understand the experiences and learnings of dietetic and nutrition students following a 3-week intensive summer course designed to enhance students' understandings of compassion, creativity, and sense of coherence as they apply to personal growth and socially just professional practice. Seven of 15 students participated in one-on-one, semi-structured interviews. Data analysis was conducted using inductive thematic analysis, resulting in 3 meta-themes: (i) personal meaning and sense making, (ii) relational and power dynamics, and (iii) disruption; participants contextualized these themes via a dynamic interplay within and among the domains of self, pedagogy, and practice. As a result of taking this course, participants developed an enhanced sense of coherence, self-compassion, well-being, and a more equity-focused understanding of health. Student development may have been achieved through attending to student experience and a relational pedagogical epistemology that allowed students to make personal, interpersonal, and systemic connections among their own subjective experiences, the experiences of peers, and broader social impacts on health. Given nutrition classrooms are largely positivist, it is important to consider how these environments as relational contexts may support or undermine compassion, sense of coherence, and ultimately the health and well-being of students.

“A Touch of Sugar”: A Qualitative Study of the Impact of Health Beliefs on Type 1 and Type 2 Diabetes Self-Management Among Black Canadian Adults

ObjectivesBlack Canadians have higher rates of diabetes and complications compared with White Canadians. However, research on diabetes self-management in this community is lacking. We conducted a qualitative study to explore diabetes self-management in the Black Canadian community using the lens of the Health Belief Model. MethodsForty-three individuals who identify as Black Canadians, living with or caring for a person with diabetes, were recruited. Data were collected through focus groups and interviews, and then analyzed using content analysis. ResultsWe found that participants appreciated they are susceptible to diabetes based on family or peer experiences. Perceived severity is variable for which some believe that diabetes is only a “sugar problem,” and the majority highlighted a perceived lack of knowledge about diabetes complications. Perceived benefits to treatment included prolonging life and cleansing one’s body. Perceived barriers included lack of culturally appropriate dietary advice, lack of shared decision-making driven by a language barrier and cultural mismatch between patient and provider, socioeconomic status and difficulty navigating and accessing the Canadian health-care system. Peers, family members, churches and online platforms served as the main information sources and cues to action, influencing each of the 4 aforementioned categories. A number of solutions were proposed by the participants to address the barriers from patient, health-care delivery and health advocacy perspectives. ConclusionsBlack Canadians face unique barriers to diabetes self-management, some of which are rooted within health belief systems. Avenues for intervention include peer education through narratives and a renewed focus on providing culturally appropriate care.

Observations of LGBT-specific bullying at a state university

Purpose: This study conducts an analysis of the characteristics of undergraduate students who observed anti-LGBT behaviors on their campus. The study uses a data set collected from an LGBT Campus Climate Survey distributed on the campus of a state university. The study was developed to advance the understanding of the role of a bystander in LGBT-specific bullying. Materials and Methods: The study uses a 16-item LGBT Peer Experiences Questionnaire (LGBT-PEQ), to assess the relationship of bystander age, gender, and their attitudes (as measured by an 11-item LGBT Attitudes Scale) with their observation of negative behaviors directed toward LGBT people (N = 417) in the past month. Results: Results indicate a statistically significant portion of variance in LGBT-PEQ scores is accounted for by bystanders' LGBT Attitudes scores while controlling for age or gender. Conclusion: The results indicate tailoring Anti-LGBT behavior bystander education and interventions to reach specific age and gender categories more likely to observe these behaviors. It supports empowering bystanders to intervene in specific “unsafe” zones on university campuses.

Educational needs of patients and caregivers living with sickle cell disease results in development of web-based patient decision aid.

We performed an assessment to understand perceived decisional needs among those living with sickle cell disease. Additionally, we desired understanding of their preferred methods and quality of learning and sought guidance in development of a web-based patient decision aid. The purpose of this qualitative study was to determine ways patients and caregivers receive education about sickle cell disease and available therapies. We sought to understand preferences for education, quality of current knowledge and information they would like to obtain. Recruitment for the initial needs assessment occurred between October 2013 -April 2014. Further recruitment for clarification of internet-based searches occurred between January 2015 -September 2016. We conducted a total of 201 semi-structured qualitative interviews with patients and caregivers. Six themes emerged: healthcare provider education is good but does not meet all the learning needs of the patient/caregiver; patients/caregivers feel a strong desire to seek information about treatment options on their own; adult patients and parents diverged in their core objectives in seeking information: quality of life (QOL) was the major outcome of interest in considering potential treatment options; experience of peers is preferred source for learning about treatment options; and educational needs may be supplemented with a web-based interactive educational tool. Patients with sickle cell disease and their caregivers are motivated by a desire to improve QOL in seeking treatment options and use many methods to seek education to supplement what they learn from their healthcare providers and may benefit from the use of a web-based decision aid. Impact Educational needs of patients/caregivers with sickle cell disease were identified and provide the basis to inform the design of educational strategies for them. Nurses and others can assist with learning needs by sharing the website and answering questions that arise.

Reflection before and after clinical practice-Enhancing and broadening experience through self-, peer- and teacher-guided learning.

This paper explores a novel pedagogy surrounding students' clinical practice sessions. Before each clinical session, student clinical groups meet and each student presents their treatment planned for that session. The teachers question their understanding and explore "what-if" and other management scenarios. Peers in the clinical group observe the presentation and learning dialogue. After the clinical session, students gather on the clinic to debrief their performance with the tutor. Peers observe this dialogue, the shared clinical experience. This paper explores students' perceptions of reflection before action and reflection on action surrounding their clinical practice. Focus groups were conducted to explore this phenomenon and to create a questionnaire, which was administered to the whole class. Transcriptions of the focus groups and open-ended response in the questionnaire were subjected to a thematic analysis to identify emerging themes and supported by closed-ended question responses. Briefing sessions before clinical sessions helped students identify problems and clear doubts before entering clinics. Students were able to recall and rehearse the clinical procedural knowledge and felt well prepared and confident for patient care. Student sharing of knowledge with peers provided a broader learning experience and helped gain confidence. Students also reported to learn from the teacher facilitating their preparation for the session. Debriefing sessions after the clinical session allowed reflection and learning including error correction on their own and peer experiences. Students learnt personally, from peers and from the teacher, and emphasised the importance of the student-teacher relation. Briefing and debriefing sessions were highly valued by students for preparation and learning on clinics and in learning from peers. Briefing sessions cleared misunderstanding, prevented errors, broadened procedural knowledge and improved both confidence and clinical experience. Debriefing sessions facilitated reflective practice, error correction and prevention, and helped gain insights from teachers' own experience and perspectives.

Depression symptoms in adolescents with autism spectrum disorder: A contextual approach to mental health comorbidities

IntroductionAlthough research on mental health comorbidities in autism spectrum disorder (ASD) has increased in recent years, little has been done to evaluate potential individual × environment interactions associated with these comorbidities. The current study explored whether ASD-related characteristics (social-communication impairment) and environmental factors (peer and family contexts) had additive or interactive effects on the depression symptoms of youth with ASD. MethodIn a cross-sectional sample of adolescents with ASD (N = 176; 13–17 years old; 72.7% male), primary caregivers and adolescents responded to a series of surveys online pertaining to adolescents' mental health (Revised Child Anxiety and Depression Scale), family functioning (Self-Report of Family Inventory), and experiences of peer victimization (Peer Experiences Questionnaire-Revised). ResultsThere were statistically significant interactions between social-communication skills and the environment in both family (△R2 = 0.02) and peer (△R2 = 0.02) contexts. For youth with better social-communication skills, there was a positive association between peer victimization and depression symptoms and a negative association between family competence and depression symptoms. ConclusionFindings support social-push interactive models in which better social-communication skills are associated with fewer depression symptoms in the context of less-stressful peer and family environments, highlight the utility of ecologically informed approaches to the mental health of youth with ASD, and suggest several areas for future study.

Plastic Surgeons as Institutional Leaders.

Physicians, especially plastic surgeons, are underrepresented in hospital leadership. As such, the steps an aspiring plastic surgeon should take toward assuming a high-level administrative role remain unclear. The authors aim to profile the chief executive officers and surgeons-in-chief at top-ranked U.S. hospitals with the goal of better characterizing the attributes of institutional leaders. Chief executive officers and surgeons-in-chief at top-ranking hospitals in the 2019 to 2020 U.S. News and World Report "Best Hospitals Honor Roll" were included in this study. For each leader, sex, title, degrees, years of experience, total number of publications, practice specialty (for physician leaders), and previous leadership roles in national societies were reviewed. Descriptive statistical analyses were performed. A total of 99 leadership positions at 66 institutions were included. Of these, 67 were chief executive officers and 32 were surgeons-in-chief. Overall, 28 of 67 chief executive officers (42 percent) were physicians-23 nonsurgeons and five surgeons. Of all surgeon executives, only two were plastic surgeons, and both were surgeons-in-chief. The "average" physician-chief executive officer had 24 years of experience, no M.B.A., over 100 publications, zero to one fellowship, and was involved in national leadership. There was no difference in professional qualifications (defined as years of experience, business training, number of publications and fellowships, and leadership positions) between nonsurgeon- and surgeon-chief executive officers, or between plastic surgeons and other surgeons in leadership positions. Despite possessing adequate qualifications, plastic surgeons are underrepresented in American health care institutional leadership roles. Aspiring plastic surgeon leaders should lean on their peer credibility and experience delivering patient-centered care to succeed in leadership roles.

Adolescent brain in a social world: Unravelling the positive power of peers from a neurobehavioral perspective

ABSTRACT Adolescence is a period of growing focus on social interactions and relationships. The peer context is one of the most significant developmental contexts in this transitional period and positive peer experiences contribute positively to adolescent well-being. Although negative peer influence on antisocial behaviour has received much attention, we know less about the positive power of peers such as on prosocial behaviour. Functioning in a social context involves affective and regulatory processes, as well as understanding others and mentalizing. In this article, I highlight neuroscientific studies examining prosocial decision-making in the peer context. Based on studies combining economic exchange paradigms with sociometric assessments of peer relations, I show that prosocial behaviour for friends involves activation of the ventral striatum and the temporoparietal junction, brain regions associated with affective-motivational processes and other-oriented thinking. Differential developmental trajectories of these brain regions across adolescence can be critical in understanding the developmental significance of peer relationships and its links with developmental outcomes.

The role of empathy and social anxiety in Latinx adolescents' indirect peer aggression during the transition to high school.

The primary purpose of this study was to evaluate the relationship between decreased empathy (i.e., cognitive and affective) and indirect and cyber peer aggression among Latinx adolescents during their transition to high school. Further, we examined the degree to which social anxiety moderated this relationship. Participants were 469 Latinx ninth graders, ages 13-17 years (M = 14.52, SD = 0.58; 58% girls). Adolescents completed the Revised Peer Experiences Questionnaire, Cyber Peer Experiences Questionnaire, Basic Empathy Scale, and Social Anxiety Scale for Adolescents at two different time points, 3 months apart. Hierarchical linear regression analyses revealed concurrent and prospective relationships between lower cognitive empathy and the perpetration of both indirect and cyber aggression. In addition, social anxiety moderated the concurrent associations between both types of empathy and both types of aggression perpetration. Results suggest that interventions that facilitate cognitive empathy and decrease social anxiety may help to reduce adolescents' indirect and cyber aggression toward peers throughout the high school transition.

Friends with bankruptcy protection benefits

We show information spillovers limit the effectiveness of targeted debt relief programs. We study individuals who learn about the likelihood of debt relief from the recent experiences of workplace peers filing for bankruptcy protection. Peers granted bankruptcy can discharge debts, while peers facing dismissal lose all protections. Exploiting the random assignment of judges to bankruptcy cases, we determine that individuals with a “dismissed peer” are significantly less likely to file for bankruptcy or enter foreclosure. We highlight a novel channel relating social networks to household finances and identify additional costs of granting individual debt relief imposed on lenders.

Supporting perinatal anxiety in the digital age; a qualitative exploration of stressors and support strategies

BackgroundThe period surrounding childbirth is one of profound change, which can often be experienced as stressful and overwhelming. Indeed, around 20% of women may experience significant levels of anxiety in the perinatal period. However, most women experiencing perinatal anxiety (PNA) go unrecognised and untreated. The Internet offers a potentially scalable solution to improve access to support, however a dearth of research in this area means that work is needed to better understand women’s experience of PNA, so that potential targets for intervention can be identified and possible barriers to support overcome. This study aimed to qualitatively explore women’s experience of anxiety triggers and support in the perinatal period; and gain insight into what online support is acceptable for women with PNA.MethodsWomen who were either pregnant or within one-year postpartum were invited to participate in focus groups across the UK. Focus groups were used to allow a diversity of perspectives to be heard, while simultaneously promoting the identification and prioritisation of important support needs and solutions. Interviews were transcribed and thematically analysed.ResultsFive key themes emerged in relation to women’s experience with PNA: holding unrealistic expectations of birth and motherhood; stigma; the importance of peer support; uncertainty and poor maternal confidence; and a lack of mental health support and knowledge. Perinatal women felt under-supported and poorly prepared for motherhood. A mismatch between their expectations and the reality of their experience, alongside a pressure to be the ‘perfect mum’ was the primary source of their anxiety. Furthermore, stigma associated with PNA may have exacerbated these issues and led to help-seeking avoidance. Overall, women felt these issues could be addressed via online support, through the delivery of more realistic information, providing psychoeducation about PNA symptoms and management, and the inclusion of authentic peer experiences. Thus, delivering evidence-based information and interventions online may provide a solution that is acceptable to this cohort.ConclusionsThis work provides unique insight into potential sources of anxiety for women in the perinatal period, while also offering potential internet-based support solutions that are likely to be acceptable and helpful for women with PNA.

Reciprocal associations between adolescent peer relationships and sleep

ObjectiveThe present study investigated the bidirectional associations of adolescent peer experiences and sleep/wake problems during early adolescence. DesignThe study used a two-wave longitudinal design. SettingParticipants were recruited from a small urban community in the Midwestern United States. ParticipantsAt T1, participants included 100 adolescents (53% boys; mean age = 11.05 years, SD = 0.33) and their mothers (96% biological), and 78 teachers (62% female). At T2, 89 adolescents and their mothers returned; 76 teachers participated. The racial/ethnic composition of the sample of adolescents and mothers included 57%–63% European American and 43%–37% racial/ethnic minorities (e.g., African American, Hispanic/Latino). MeasurementsAt both waves, adolescents reported on their sleep quality (sleep/wake problems). Adolescent-, mother-, and teacher-reported peer victimization were composited at each wave, and a composite for positive peer relationships included adolescent-reported friendship quality; adolescent-, mother-, and teacher-reported friends’ prosociality; and mother- and teacher-reported peer acceptance. ResultsFindings from cross-lagged panel models revealed some support for reciprocal associations such that T1 positive peer relationships predicted fewer T2 sleep problems and T1 sleep problems predicted less positive peer relationships at T2. However, only T1 sleep problems predicted more peer victimization at T2, controlling for T1 peer victimization, with the effect driven by adolescent-reported peer victimization. ConclusionsFindings provide new insight for prevention and intervention efforts regarding the potential protective function of positive peer relationships in reducing sleep problems, as well as the need to address sleep problems as a means to promote more positive peer relationships and less peer victimization over time.

Future Directions in Peer Relations Research

Peer relationships among youth have been examined as predictors of mental health outcomes for at least fifty years, revealing dozens of discrete peer constructs that each are associated with adjustment in childhood, adolescence, and later in adulthood. Future research may benefit by examining a range of new outcomes and psychological processes that have been discussed recently in related literatures. This paper reviews recent research on interpersonal determinants of physical health outcomes, and opportunities for greater examination of 1) peer influence processes toward health risk behaviors; 2) neural correlates of peer adversity; 3) adverse peer experiences that may affect physiological markers of stress response; and 4) immune system markers of peer adversity. Additional future directions include the study of differences in the forms and functions of peer interactions within the digital age.

Children\u2019s Sociability in Institutional Contexts: Theoretical Reflections on Cognitive Development Within Peer Interactions

Human beings are constituted through the presence and actions of others whom they encounter during the course of their lives. We are constituted by all the interactions we enact in different social contexts and through all the meanings we create together about the experiences we share. Therefore, in order to understand the ontogenesis of cognition, one must understand how meanings are constructed with the others we encounter. A substantial amount of research has addressed how infants and toddlers—when in interaction with adults—are able to understand others’ actions and engage in social dynamics by coordinating and regulating adults’ actions. This knowledge has advanced the field of developmental psychology significantly. However, not many efforts have been made to understand the origins of social cognition via peer interactions or explore how peer interactions constitute cognitive development. In this theoretical article, we use the microanalysis of three peer interaction episodes to discuss how the constitutive role of peer experiences can be analysed beyond isolated individual processes. The encounter, the situation and the social and relational process are used as a unit of analysis. This analytical approach considers the contributions and insights provided by the enactive theory, which offers a perspective to understand the processes of cognitive development in interactive experiences.

Brief Report: ASD-Related Behavior Problems and Negative Peer Experiences Among Adolescents with ASD in General Education Settings.

The goal of the current study was to test associations between various ASD-related behavior problems and negative peer experiences in adolescents with ASD. Data were obtained from the Bullying and School Experiences of Children with ASD Survey completed by parents in the Interactive Autism Network (IAN). The current study focused on data from 279 parents of 7th-11th graders with ASD who spent at least half of the school day in a general education setting. Logistic regression analyses found that frequent meltdowns, poor hygiene, rigid rule-keeping, and self-injury were associated with negative peer experiences. Surprisingly, repetitive behaviors and verbal tics were associated with a lower likelihood of experiencing verbal victimization.